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Mar 26, 2011

Nutritional Healing- Endometriosis part 3

The other night my grandma called to share her experience with Endometriosis (and a funny line about a playground, thanks for that Grandma I've had a few good chuckles over that one!). She reads my blog and therefore has read my other healing posts about Endo. She basically said that Endo is a disease, you can't get rid of it and you can't heal it with food. This is true so I thought I would expound a bit if anyone else is under the impression that you can cure yourself.

Endo is a disease that most Dr.'s don't even understand . The nature of the disease is something that does not fit into a regular pattern as it varies drastically from woman to woman. No one is sure why it happens to some and not to others even within the same family. Because of the erratic nature of Endo, there isn't one thing that works 100% of the time for 100% of women. Because Endo deals with an overgrowth of cells you can eradicate it or even guess where it will move next (some women have Endo on their lungs because it has traveled from the pelvis upward!). When diagnosing Endo there are two main groups of advice you are given once you are diagnosed. First, laproscopy or hysterectomy. This advice is generally used for those who have severe Endo. The second group (and one I belong in) is cope, get by as best you can for as long as you can. This is what many women choose to do because they may want children or do not want to take hormone therapy.

For me the choice was a little trickier. My choice is not as black and white (though I wish it were). Unlike many other sufferers I do not have endo (that we know of) on my uterus, it is predominately on my left ovary and bowel. They figure the Endo spread through one of my 4 c-section as I did not have issues prior to pregnancy (although that may not be the case, speculation at this point). Anyway because it is not more contained to my reproductive organs a hysterectomy is not really a good idea. If I were to remove my ovary, the Endo on my bowel would still spread, most likely the a wild fire, after the surgery. At this point the coping option is my best option. Because I am very against medicine, especially hormones, taking birth control to control my monthly cycles is out of the question. I also am not a pain pill popper. I do take it when absolutely necessary but I usually have to be crying before I resort to it. I am a firm believer that if our bodies are in good condition, fed nutrient dense natural foods and if we exercise regularly, we can usually handle what comes our way. This is why I have chosen to cope by being proactive in my diet and exercise.

For me this has been a great blessing. This month is the first month since October that I have not been in horrible pain. In fact this is the first month that I have not spent 2 days writhing in pain in bed. This is the first month that I have been able to walk, laugh, cough, sneeze or bounce since last October. I will carry this disease with me till the day I die but I refuse to let it control my life (even just couple days of the month!).

I attribute these changes to my diet and to chiropractics. I have been going to the Chiropractor since the first of March, multiple times a week, and I feel incredible. The normal pelvic pain is gone and cramps lasted 30 minutes! I am not the only one who has had positive results with this treatment (although my treatment is for other issues). Check out these links for more information. I encourage anyone dealing with Endo to be proactive in their care. If you are in the hysterectomy group, educate yourselves on the entire process and life afterward. If you are in the cope group, educate yourself about all the options for leading a full, healthy and pain free life. There are always other options than popping a Tylenol, check them out! And if you are so inclined head to the Chiropractor, its amazing!